Zafe Haven
by Number Ten
Summary: Take Once Upon a Time, two characters from Titanic, an original character, and a zombie apocalypse. One survivor gets more than she bargained for when she investigates something that goes bump in the night. Can she protect those in need? This unique story is something you might want to read. Please review because I am mostly testing this concept and to see where it will go.
1. Prologue: It Happened Then

Prologue: It Happened Then

It happened then…

Her world came to an end with a single solitary sentence…

The life she had, as normal as it was, became hell on earth. A typical day that turned into a nightmare. All that man had to say was one sentence and nothing would ever be the same. A simple phrase that could've meant anything except the end of the world. It should have been a line from a classic horror movie or maybe a really intense Brad Pitt thriller, but it was said by a man who wanted to tell her the truth. Tell the world the truth.

The warning rattles the floor of her apartment as the glass of water she had in her hand slid from her grasp and smashed on the floor. The sound is muted by the alarm, echoing in her head, along with the screams from the nearby apartments and the sounds of the traffic in the streets below. She wanted to scream herself but the shock had swollen her throat shut. The next few minutes would define whether she lived or died; a decision that still haunted her, even now.

That one sentence…

That damned sentence…

 _"_ _They have risen..."_


	2. Chapter 1: Worth Something

Chapter 1: Worth Something

Crystal wakes up in a cold sweat and whacks her head on the seat. She groans and rolls over on the crappy old and stained mattress, shoved in the back of her delivery van/ home. She pushes herself up and grabs her coat next to a stack of cans. She then reaches for one of her many weapons stashed in this van that has become a makeshift home for herself, ever since They rose. As if from the depths of hell, they came in waves, or hoards as Crystal liked to call them. They had taken everything from Crystal and most of humanity as well. She had been by herself for months now, border lining on a year, she couldn't tell anymore and it was not like she cared.

Crystal rummages through some of her rations and pulls out a can of fruit and a tin of spam. Neither of these things were her favourite food wise, but when you are always on the brink of starvation, you eat whatever sustenance you can get. She eats quickly before starting her usual routine. She peers through the bullet hole in the sliding door of her van to check for any Wanderers before opening the sliding van door. She tosses the remains of her breakfast on the side of the road before heading to the driver's side.

She used to feel guilty about littering on the side of the road, but since the Earth was on the brink of death, it didn't matter any longer. To think there used to be laws that charged you for throwing trash on the side of the road. To think that there were laws for so many things. Things that had to be broken by humanity in order to survive.

The day was gray, as usual, typical for the coastal states and Crystal was hoping that it would rain soon so she could collect some fresh water…well… water that was relatively safer to drink.

She shoves one of the handguns into her belt and throws a rifle over her back. She unlatches the driver's side and hops into the front.

Grabbing the keys from her belt, Crystal turns until the old vehicle sputters to life.

She had found this thing about three months after being on foot. The thing had been abandoned in front of an old apartment building that Crystal had raided looking for the essentials. To her utter amazement, it still worked and actually still had gas inside it. She thought it would be much easier to have a vehicle to carry her supplies around instead of on her back. Fortunately, she found the key beside the vehicle along with many blood stains and some old clothes. The Wanderers only eat what is edible, material things are left behind wherever their victim fell. The driver, Crystal can assume, was attacked just as he or she was getting out of the van, maybe about to make a delivery and all that was left of them was their van. It was a typical white van, the kind used for deliveries for small businesses and the kind parents told their children to stay away from in case there was a man inside offering him or her free candy. Despite the purpose this van once served, Crystal found the use of it now and very handy. She could stash her food, clothing, water, medical supplies, weapons and any other essentials she might need on her journey… wherever it may take her.

She had also managed to store a mattress and blankets behind the front seat where she could easily just hop over the seat and start driving at a moment's notice. The seat also gave her cover in case a stray Wanderer got curious and happened to peek in the window.

Crystal had obviously done some things to upgrade the van and make it usable in this New World. She reinforced the windows with whatever supplies she could. It only had to withstand a Wanderer's human fists anyways. She also kept spare tires in the back as well as gas cans. She had managed to find a hardware store with a sort of gas siphoning tool with a thin hose at one end a hand pump on the other. She used this to transfer gas from any abandoned cars she came across, which were many, into the van. A lot of the cars were very low on gas, but Crystal managed to drain each tank empty with her pump device. She also had jumper cables to charge the battery when it died. She would hotwire any nearby car in order to charge her own vehicle. Another thing that she had done was to paint the van black and then smear the entire vehicle with Wanderer blood. As revolting as this was, it masked any potential "human" scent that could lure a horde of Wanderers to her. Most of the time, Crystal parked in ditches or on a certain to make the van seem as if it were abandoned, but it was unlikely that the Wanderers would understand this, but she always took precautions.

Crystal steers the van onto the lone two-lane highway, a common staple of her journey. She never really had a destination anymore. She used to have one until the people she was traveling with turned into monsters; much worse than the Wanderers themselves and left her no choice but to leave. Despite how close she was to them; she knew that if the last of humanity had no moral compass then they may as well join the horde. She still had nightmares about that very last night, the one that forced her to shoot and run.

As she drives, Crystal turns on what used to be the radio. Even though it was unlikely that the device could provide her with any form of entertainment, she ritualistically searched the stations for anything, even an emergency broadcast station that had set up a haven or something even remotely close to safe. The radio did have a CD player and one of the very few luxuries Crystal had allowed herself to have was a stack of music. Since the discs were considered useless in this New World, there was always plenty to choose from when she happened upon an HMV in an abandoned mall or an old trades shop. She had some of the classics, like Queen or Sinatra, up to recent bands and artists. Since she was driving everywhere, the music kept her awake at the wheel and gave her a form of solace during the long days on the road. She kept it on low so no Wanderers would hear it, but she'd sing quietly along as she started forward along the winding roads, past trees and farms and barren landscapes.

After she's done searching the radio stations, she selects a newer CD and pops it into the player. This was a band she loved and she had to sing along.

 _I hate to admit it but I miss the war  
Oh  
Gotta get you under fire quick  
Brace for it  
I'd rather be a riot than indifferent  
Oh  
Oh, This means war, yeah  
This means, this means, this means, this means war_ _  
_

It's a few what Crystal can assume is hours before something remotely interesting happens. Out in a farmer's field covered in dead wheat, she sees a few dark shapes. They are inexplicably human shaped. She stops, shuts off the music, and grabs a pair of binoculars to get a better look. They are on the passenger side and Crystal leans out the side window to see what they are. She immediately assumed that they were likely Wanderers, but there was always hope that they were survivors of some kind. She sees the figures in a sort of crouching position, huddled like a swarm of bees.

"It's dinner time," Crystal grimaces. No doubt these Wanderers were feasting on a victim. Her stomach still turns despite being exposed to these beings for a long time. One less human life that could have been saved.

Crystal knows what she must do. She presses her hand on the horn and tries to get the attention of the horde. The reaction is slow, typical of these beings but Crystal begins to shout to get them to move faster. Ever so slowly, they stand up and begin lumbering towards the van.

Now it was time for Crystal to make her move. She climbs through the passenger window onto the roof of the van. She then loads her rifle and adds the scope on top. She takes careful aim, cocking her gun into place.

She waits as the hissing sound the Wanderers made gradually got louder and louder.

"Come on, come on," Crystal hisses. "Get into range."

The first Wanderer to walk into range is a male with matted brown hair. His eyes are the soulless white, a staple feature of these creatures. He wears what Crystal can assume is a jogging suit, complete with the hoodie, shorts, and dirty runners. There also seems to be what remains of headphones dangling from one of the pockets. The man must've been out for a daily jog when he fell victim to this disease or epidemic or whatever it was.

Crystal takes aim at his head and fires.

The cracking of the rifle echoes through the open field and the first Wanderer falls dead on the ground. The others don't seem to be shaken by their comrade's death and continue wandering towards the van.

Crystal lets out another shot, killing a long-haired female and then reloads. She takes out a plump looking Wanderer and finishes off the rest of the horde, one by one.

Once all of the beings are on the ground and fairly motionless, Crystal hops down from the roof of the van and grabs one of her many blades from the back along with a pair of rubber gloves. She has her handgun ready in case any of them are still alive. She goes to the first being and slashes the head completely off and follows suit with the rest. The male in the jogging suit was still twitching slightly so Crystal put another bullet in the brain until he was inert. Once all the bodies are headless, Crystal looks to see if there are any bullets she can salvage, only finding the shells of the rifle. She then begins poking and prodding at the bodies, looking through the pockets of their clothing/rags for anything that might be useful. Besides the headphones, there's nothing but dirt and what might be flesh.

Crystal then goes further into the field to see the victim of this horde's attack.

It's an unfortunate and gruesome sight; laying on the field is what used to be a man, except he was basically a shell of his former self…literally. Crystal swallows the bile in her throat and gets a little closer. She can see the man was doing his best to fight off his attackers, he has what looked like a rolling pin clutched in his hand. The Wanderers had only gotten so far with their feeding before Crystal had distracted them, which was most likely for the best What's left of his face shows an expression of pure fear and agony, his eyes wide with terror and mouth agape as if he was screaming. Crystal remembers something her father once told her about death, that if you looked closely enough you could see the person's last thoughts imprinted on their eyes. Ever since the New World formed and with all the death she had seen, Crystal knew that this was true.

Crystal kneels next to the man smooths out his bloody shirt, throws the weapon further into the field, bring his mangled arms together in a cross position and closes his eyes. She then notices a dog tag near the man's feet, something that had probably been ripped off during the struggle. She looks carefully at the name engraved on the piece of metal.

 _Marcus F._

She puts the tag in the man's hand, name facing upwards towards the sky.

Crystal then stands up and takes aim with her gun, putting a bullet between the man's eyes.

Sorry if this chapter is a little boring, I'm just trying to set up Crystal's story. We will learn a lot about her backstory as the story progresses and the Once characters will be introduced soon as well as Jack and Rose. Please review to tell me if you like it.


	3. Chapter 2: An Unusual Discovery

Chapter 2: An Unusual Discovery

 _Are you ready,_ _  
Are you ready for this  
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat  
Out of the doorway, the bullets rip  
To the sound of the beat_

 _Another one bites the dust…_

The van pulls along the gray, barren road as the radio plays out the selected tune. Crystal keeps her eyes open for anything out of the ordinary. She drives with ease through most of the highways, occasionally having to avoid cars or the occasional corpse. If it is a Wanderer, she runs them over without a second thought. Speed is never a problem for her, as she's not competing with any traffic and there are no laws any longer.

A sign along the side of the road shows her that a town is coming up, this is where Crystal's work really begins.

She liked to call it "town hopping" as she never stayed in one place for more than a few days, depending on the size of the town. She tries to avoid large cities for if possible as there can be Wanderers lurking behind every corner and often many large hordes of them reside there. This is most likely because of the great number of victims available. But in a small town, she likely has a better chance of escaping or fighting and hearing the hissing noise they make as they approach.

Crystal speeds up until she passes a sign indicating she's entered the place. _Ophelia_ , such an unusual name for a town.

The area is a total ghost town. Cars turned over or parked in strange places, shops and houses boarded up completely. Windows are broken or completely blown out as if done so to escape the horror of the Wanderers. Charred lawns from which Crystal could assume people tried to make fire pits or keep warm were everywhere in the neighbourhood. A few of the houses had been burnt to the ground, but why that was Crystal couldn't say. There was even graffiti in some places declaring that _This is Hell_ and _The End is Here_. But most of all, Crystal could see bodies, but whether they were from Wanderers or deceased humans, Crystal didn't want to know. Some lay along the curbs of the street, some on the lawns and some even hanging out of cars. There were also bodies hanging from streetlight posts, like twisted and gruesome Halloween decorations. These were the people who had given up all hope and thought it would be better to end it all, even the most public of places to show any passerby's what had become of the world and that there was no hope. It also kept them high above the Wanderers to avoid a terrible death of being eaten alive. It was kind of ironic that people chose to end their lives in a town where one of Shakespeare's famous characters performed a similar act.

The place was completely desolated and this didn't surprise Crystal at all. Almost every survivor stays on the move, abandoning their homes and communities in hopes of finding a safe haven or a place protected by the military. A place that could keep Wanderers out. Crystal was once looking for that, but the domicile she found was much worse that she had expected. She'd much rather be on the road than find someplace to stay permanently. A place may be safe for awhile, but not forever.

She starts at the end of one street and starts working her way down. She arms herself with a blade, two guns, and a rifle from the back of the van. She also grabs a backpack to gather any supplies. The first few houses are a bust, almost completely cleaned out and have the overwhelming scent of death. She does manage to find a few canned goods, but their expiry dates were at the turn of the twenty-first century.

Not deterred, Crystal pulls up to one of the last houses on the block that looks fairly intact, it stands closer to the middle of town, guarded by old buildings and shops that might be worth raiding afterward.

She walks up the dead lawn to the front door. She tries opening it but finds it locked and quite possibly blocked. She shoves a few times, but nothing happens. Instead, she goes to one of the windows and they are also boarded up from the inside. This peaks Crystal's interest, maybe someone was hiding in here, but she needed more evidence.

Undeterred by the glass window and the wooden boards, Crystal finds a heavy brick on a nearby lawn and uses it to smash a large hole through the window and the wood. She then finishes the job with her feet before climbing through.

The house was completely turned upside down, furniture strewn at weird angles and it looks like some wooden parts have been hacked off. She figures out why as the ashes in the fireplace are still warm, someone has been chopping up pieces of the furniture to keep warm. There are makeshift beds by the fire with stained, old pillows and ratted tattered blankets. This confirmed that someone was definitely living here. More survivors.

Crystal's heart raced at the thought of seeing humans again. It had been a while since she had encountered some and while she respected survivors and even joined them, it all depended on their will and attitude for survival and how they handled the Wanderers and other survivors.

Crystal finds a stockpile of food in what used to be the kitchen and any holes had been boarded up to prevent any attackers.

Then there is a sound from above and Crystal's heart began to beat loudly. It was a possibility that the reason the place was empty was that Wanderers had found their way in, but as she listens carefully, Crystal hears frantic footsteps, they are very light and fast, not a Wanderer's typical foot patterns. Not wanting to take any chances, Crystal loads one of her guns and heads towards the noise.

She climbs the creaky stairs, back pressed against the wall in case of an attack. She begins searching the upstairs, finding all the doors ajar except for one at the very end of the hall. This peaks her interest and Crystal approaches with caution. She knocks a few times.

"Hello?" Crystal calls inside. "Hello?!"

No answer.

"I'm coming in," Crystal announces.

She then turns the knob.

The room is empty and dark, with the windows boarded up. The large brass bed frame in the room no longer has a mattress and the place is layered in dust except for…

Crystal can see a trail of the thick dust and grime, leading to the closed closet.

Crystal approaches carefully and opens the door with her gun raised.

Two children are huddled together at the base of the closet and Crystal immediately lowers her gun. The two of them shrink back against the back of the closet. There is a boy and a girl, both just around the age of six or seven. The boy holds a baseball bat in his hands and the girl, what looks like a coat hanger, a very ineffective weapon, not that Crystal was going to attack them. The two of them are filthy from head to toe; grime and dirt covering their faces, except where they appeared to have been crying. Their clothes are worn and old and they have the look of pure terror in their eyes. These kids have seen hell, much like the rest of them, but with such a malleable mind, these kinds of horrors stay with them forever. They shake in fear and curl up against one another for safety.

"Who are you?" Crystal asks.

"I'm Nicholas and this is Ava," the boy says.

"Please don't hurt us," the girl begs, crying a bit.

"I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Crystal. What are you kids doing here?" Crystal asks.

"Waiting for our Mommy and Daddy," Nicholas answers. "They left to find food and told us to wait here. Did you see them?"

"No, I didn't," Crystals says. She kneels to their level, putting her gun in her belt. "You guys really shouldn't be in here alone. Why couldn't you go with them?"

"I hurt my ankle," Ava explains. "We thought you were a Walker."

"Walker?"

"That's what our daddy calls the zombies," Nicholas explains.

"Well I usually call them Wanderers," Crystal says. "How long have you guys been alone?"

"Two days,"

Crystal is flabbergasted. "Two days?!"

"We have food," Nicholas says. "And the furniture keeps the Walkers from getting in."

"I saw that,"

"Please don't take the food from us," Ava says, trying hard not to weep.

"Don't worry, I don't steal from other survivors," Crystal says. "But you guys shouldn't be alone. Why don't you come down to my van, there I can protect you."

"But what about Mommy and Daddy?" Ava asks.

"We'll stay parked in front of the house, that way we can see your parents when they come back."

The two children sit silently, looking at each other and still shaking heavily from fear. Obviously, they were taught never to trust strangers of any kind and Crystal with her white van doesn't help her case, but these kids need someplace safe to stay, at least until their parents come back. The two are like scared little mice, afraid of anything and everything.

Crystal tries to get a closer look at the little girl's ankle. She reaches over and Ava squeaks loudly and shies away, pressing herself against the back wall and hiding behind her brother.

"I also have some medical supplies for that ankle," Crystal offers.

The two stay huddled together.

"I also have a real mattress; you guys have been sleeping on the hardwood floors for so long, you'll be more comfortable and I promise I will protect you."

The two shiver a little more and look at each other.

"I'd just feel better if you guys were protected by someone a bit older in case and Walkers/Wanderers come by."

Nicholas speaks first. "Do you promise to help us?"

"I promise," Crystal says.

"Pinkie swear?" Nicholas asks.

Crystal offers her pinkie to them, smiling as warmly as she can to provide these two children with some comfort.

"Pinkie swear, I promise I won't let anything happen to you."


	4. Chapter 3: Counting on a Moment

Chapter 3: Counting for a Moment

"Ava, please let me see your ankle,"

"It hurts," she whimpers.

"I know it hurts, but it won't get any better if you don't let me look at it," Crystal insists. "Here, I have an instant ice pack, this will numb the pain."

Ava sits on the mattress in the van, still crumpled into a ball, trying to avoid getting her ankle examined. Nicholas sits on some old paint cans as Crystal digs through her first-aid kits. She had ended up carrying Ava to the van, with Nicholas following close behind; she wasn't that heavy, another clear sign of what had become of the world. Once safe in the van, Crystal was still trying to build trust with the two and treat Ava's injury.

"I'm scared," Ava whines.

Crystal sighs. The kids clearly missed their parents and didn't want to be with a total stranger in a van. Understandable, Crystal could have left the two alone in the house, letting them fend for themselves until their parents returned, but with Wanderers lumbering around, she could never forgive herself if she didn't at least help these children.

She leaned back and shuts her eyes for a few moments to calm herself down. She tries to remember what her mother once did when she was being difficult as a child. Usually, it was bribery, but also…

"Okay Ava, here's what we're going to do. I want you to count to ten with me, okay?"

"Why?"

"You'll see," Crystal says. "I'm sure you can count to ten can't you?"

"Yes, I'm not four," Ava says.

"Okay then count with me,"

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten."

"Good, now I want you to slowly sit down and put your legs in front of me okay, take it slow, but continue counting to ten, okay?"

"One, two, three, four, five…" Ava slowly brought her legs down in front of Crystal, her dirty and worn running shoes were on the mattress. "Six, seven, eight, nine, ten."

"Okay, now I want you to count to ten again, but this time, when you reach five I want you to take off one shoe, the one that doesn't hurt okay?"

"Why?"

"Just trust me, it's easy, I'll do it too, ready?"

 _One, two, three, four, five…_

Ava removed one of her shoes and Crystal one of her boots, as they reached ten.

"Okay, now take your time, count as slow as you can, I want you to take off the other shoe by ten okay?"

"But it hurts," Ava whimpers.

"It will, but focus on counting to ten. Close your eyes if it helps. Focus on the numbers, don't worry about everything else. Ready?"

"I'm scared," Ava whispers.

"Nicholas, why don't you count along with us okay?"

Nicholas looks skeptical, but Crystal insists on him helping his sister.

"Come on, she'll feel much better with your help,"

Nicholas nods.

"Ready?" Crystal asks.

 _One… Two… Three… Four… Five…_

Ava slowly pulled off her shoe, grimacing, keeping her eyes shut, trying to focus on the counting.

 _Eight… Nine… Ten…_

"There!" Crystal smiles. "You did it! Did it hurt that much?"

Ava shook her head.

"Okay, now I want you and Nicholas to keep counting while I fix your ankle, I'll do it ten counts at a time okay? Nicholas, why don't you hold her hand?"

Ava shudders and Nicholas goes over to sit next to her. He takes his sister's pale fingers in his equally pale hand.

"Okay, count with me," Crystal says.

 _One… Two…_

The counting continued as Crystal examined Ava's ankle. It wasn't broken but badly sprained. She was as gentle as she could be with the little girl, seeing how purple and swollen it was. She put the ice packs on in ten-second intervals as the kids continued to count. She finds some tissue to wrap the ice packs in and then found some gauze and a safety pin in the kit. She slowly wraps the girl's ankle with ice packs on either side until it's nice and tightly wrapped up. At the end of the last ten, she playfully tickles Ava's open toes which make her squirm and giggle.

"There, all done, now was that so bad?" Crystal asks.

"No," Ava says.

"Now I want you to sit on the mattress for tonight and try not to move too much, it will give your ankle a chance to heal."

"It's cold," Ava complains.

"I know, but it's good for you I promise… Here," Crystal says, finding a blanket and puts it over Ava's feet. "Better?"

Ava nods.

"Okay Nicholas, do you have any injuries I should know about?"

Nicholas shakes his head and sits next to his sister. Crystal had noticed that he was clinging to his arm a lot and rubbing it, usually an indication of an injury. The boy was trying to hide it, unsuccessfully.

"Are you sure?" Crystal asks.

Nicholas nods.

Crystal frowns. She then hears his stomach growl

"Well, we can't eat until I know that you aren't hurt. Are you sure you're okay?"

Nicholas hesitates for a few moments and then slowly rolls up the sleeve of his ratted old sweater.

There's a bad cut there, not too serious, it was treatable.

"I don't like the stingy stuff," Nicholas points out.

"I know, I don't like it either but we have to make sure it heals," Crystal digs through the kit, finding a few band-aids and some rubbing alcohol.

"Okay, I want you to count with me. The faster you count, the faster it will be over," Crystal promises. "Ready?"

 _One…_

…

After both children are cleaned up and comfortable, Crystal gets out some food. Just a few tinned types of meat and some beans, as well as condensed milk. The kids are skeptical of the food and stare at it blankly.

"It smells funny," Ava grimaces.

"Why is it gray?" Nicholas asks.

Crystal sighs, finishing her own rations fairly quickly.

"Do you guys want to hear something cool?" Crystal asks. The kids nod slowly.

Crystal climbs into the front seat and selects a CD. She then presses play.

"This one of my favourite singers," she says.

 _"_ _This is no mistake, no accident  
When you think the final nail is in  
Think again…"_

"I remember her!" Nicholas says. "She was the lady from the Candyland video!"

"Yes," Crystal smiles.

 _"_ _Don't be surprised_

 _I will still rise_ "

"She's a great singer," Crystal smiles.

Ava and Nicholas nod their heads a little bit as they eat. Takes their mind off the food and reminds them about how hungry they are. They ate the full rations without any more complaint. For the first time, Crystal actually sees smiles on the kid's faces, giving them a little bit of joy in such a desperate time. Music was an escape for anyone and a piece of solace. She knew that the kids were a few seconds away from getting up and dancing, but Ava's ankle prevented this.

She plays a few hits from _Nirvana_ and the _Tragically Hip_ before it starts to get dark out and the kids begin to yawn.

Crystal finds another pillow and the two lay down, but don't want to go to sleep. They still feel scared.

"Can we say our prayers?" Ava asks.

"Sure," Crystal says, swallowing hard. Even in this New World, faith still existed, even though to Crystal it was clear that any omnipotent, all powerful being(s) were either dead or didn't care enough to help them. Her family hadn't been very religious, to begin with, but Crystal shrugs and awkwardly folds her hands.

"Now I lay me down to sleep,  
I pray the Lord my soul to keep,  
If I should die before I wake,  
I pray the Lord my soul to take," Nicholas prays with his eyes shut so tightly, Crystal swears he's going to pass out.

"Holy Mary and Baby Jesus," Ava continues. "Please let Mommy and Daddy come home so we can go someplace far away from all the badness and evil. Then we can go to a place with a big backyard and horses in the meadow and fish in the ponds. Please let them come home soon."

"Amen," the two say together.

Crystal pretends to mouth the words as the two settle down. But they are still shaking and still wide awake.

So Crystal plays one more song that her father used to play for her when she was little. She lowers the volume and waits for the song.

 _"_ _Little sleepy boy  
Do you know what time it is?  
Well the hour of your bedtime's  
Long been past  
And though I know you're fighting it  
I can tell when you rub your eyes  
You're fading fast  
Fading fast"_

Crystal then slowly adds another blanket to the two of them as the gentle melody slowly begins to lull them to sleep. Crystal climbs into the front seat, her rifle in her lap, deciding to keep watch in the front seat.

 _"_ _Well I sang it once  
And I sang it twice  
I'm going to sing it three times more  
Going to stay til your resistance  
Is overcome  
Cause if I can't sing my boy to sleep  
Well it makes your famous daddy  
Look so dumb"_

It was then that reality caught up to Crystal. Why was she so dumb? How could she be so stupid?!

Her mind races with questions. What was she going to do? She didn't have the space and capability of taking care of these kids. Where in the hell were the parents? She was already worried that the parents had encountered Wanderers and couldn't come back. Crystal then begins to tear up. What if the parents never come back? How could she tell the two? They had so much faith that their parents would come home but in reality… it might never happen. And what about food? She would have to ration out the supply more carefully now, even with the food pile in the house. What about the Wanderers? How could she protect these two helpless children? They would just slow her down and make her an easier target. She now had to watch out for other people's backs, not just hers anymore. The two also need a permanent place to stay, a paradise from what Ava described. A normal world. Which was no longer existent. The kids should not be moving around like herself. Crystal had no purpose and the van could hardly sustain one person as a home, let alone three.

"Why did I do this to myself?" Crystal grimaces.

As the song closes, Crystal peers over the seat. The two of them are cuddling up to one another, sleeping soundly. Nicholas has his arms around his sister and Ava is leaning into her brother's shoulder.

The scene looks so normal, so peaceful. It was the sweetest thing Crystal had seen in a long time and…

It made her happy.


	5. Chapter 4: Waiting to Help

Chapter 4: Waiting to Help

Crystal wakes up the next morning to hear Ava and Nicholas whispering to one another. She had fallen asleep in the front seat with the rifle in her lap, but everything seemed quiet. It is probably why Ava and Nicholas' parents decided to stay in this town because there were scarcely any Wanderers.

"Did you kids sleep okay?" Crystal asks.

"Uh huh," Ava says.

"Well, I want to look at your ankle Ava while we have breakfast. I know it's going to hurt, but we'll do the counting again."

"Okay," Ava says.

Crystal opens a can of peaches and places them in a small bowl for each of them. She hands out the cutlery and then lets them eat. Crystal eats quickly before examining Ava's ankle. Again, she checks the ankle in ten-second intervals with Ava counting along. The ice packs she had wrapped around the child's ankle had long since become warm, but the swelling had gone down significantly. Instead of purple, the ankle was dark red and there seemed to be some good blood circulation. Crystal decided to let the ankle breath for a little while before she wrapped it up again.

"Can you wiggle your toes for me for ten seconds Ava?" Crystal asks.

Ava does so but still, grimaces in pain.

"It's definitely better than yesterday, but you're still going to have to stay off it sweetie," Crystal says. "Which means you're going to have to stay in the van. I'll wrap it up in a little bit, but I still want to go around the town to see if there is anything worth salvaging until your parents come back okay?"

"What's salvaging?" Nicholas asks.

"It's a fancy word for finding things and I want you Nick, to be my little helper."

"What can I do?" Ava asks.

"You are going to guard the van, making sure no one takes it okay. This is a very special job and I know only you can do it," Crystal smiles at the little girl.

Crystal then reaches along the wall of the van and selects a small gun from her stash. She knows it's wrong to give children weapons, but in this world, they need them more than anything and she hands the gun to Ava.

The girl looks very surprised and she drops it immediately onto the mattress like it's a poisonous snake, luckily the safety is on and it isn't loaded. She shies away from it and Nicholas does too.

"Daddy said that only he and Mommy can have guns," Ava says obediently.

"Oh…" Crystal says, biting her lip. She picks up the gun and turns it over in her hands. It's important that this girl has some way to defend herself, despite her young age. Clearly, these kids are protected by their parents and rely on adults and only adults to protect them. She doesn't want to force the gun on the girl, but the child must have some way to protect herself or warn them if the Wanderers come.

Crystal gets an idea. She goes into the front glove compartment and pulls out two small tools.

"Did your Daddy say anything about a Swiss army knife?" Crystal asks. She hands the little girl the tiny tool. It is a blade, but a very tiny and dull blade, very safe for a child. It's not very lethal and could hardly help in an emergency, but it is the only thing she can think of to give the child without scaring her.

Ava shakes her head.

"Well, then you can use this and this…" Crystal says, holding out a shiny silver whistle. "Whenever you're in trouble, just blow it as hard as you can and we'll come to help you okay?"

"Okay," Ava agrees.

"One long whistle tells us you're in trouble. Give two sharp blasts to tell us your parents are coming. And I'm going to put you in the front seat with the binoculars to keep watch for your parents and anything else okay?"

Ava nods again.

"Alright," Crystal says. "Let's get ready."

Crystal places Ava in the front seat with her wrapped up ankle. She arms herself with the usual and manages to find another whistle for Nicholas as well. Once they're outside the vehicle, towards the back where Ava can't seem them, Nicholas turns to his current protector.

"Can I have a gun?" he asks.

Crystal looks at him in shock. He's speaking more seriously and eloquently than before. Earlier, Crystal assumed that they were about the same age, but now as she looked closer, Nicholas looked a little bit older, about eight or nine years old. One can assume that he played the "scared little kid act" because he really was afraid of her and the entire situation.

"I know our Dad and Mom said we shouldn't have guns, but…"

"You want to be safe?" Crystal prompts. She kneels to his level.

Nicholas nods. "I didn't want to say anything in front of Ava and I didn't want her telling on me either. She still thinks that this isn't real and we'll be safe again and go back to our normal lives, but I know…"

Nicholas wipes a few tears from his eyes. Crystal nods sympathetically, she knows that nothing can ever be the same again and for a young kid to understand this, it's a harsh reality to fathom. Crystal puts her hand on the kid's shoulder.

"When this all started, my Mommy tried to convince me that this was all a bad dream and it would all be okay," Nicholas explains. " For some time I did believe it, it was almost like a video game and it wasn't real, but when we had to leave our home, I knew that it was more than that. I heard my parents arguing on the nights when I pretend to be asleep about how much they should tell us and if we should learn to keep us safe. My mommy says no, but my Dad was trying to teach me how to use a gun just in case. My mom wants to keep us safe and away from the bad guys for as long as possible, but when they had to go find more food, she made me promise to look after Ava and hide if something happened. Ava's scared of guns, she hates the noise and that it hurts people, that's why I don't want to hold one in front of her. She'll hate me and be afraid of me. Promise you won't tell her?"

Crystal nods. "I promise." She takes a gun from her belt and hands it to the kid. It looks so wrong for him to have the weapon and he fumbles with it slightly. Crystal then shows him how to unlock the safety.

"When we have some time, I'll teach you how to shoot," Crystal adds. "But keep the whistle because until your parents come back, I'm your protector okay? Blow this whistle and I'll come."

Nicholas nods and shoves the gun in his pocket.

…

Over the next few days, Crystal and Nicholas go from house to house, looking for anything of use. Crystal teaches him what might be useful in a Wanderer attack, even the most common household items. Crystal usually keeps Nick by her side at all times, they watch each other's backs in case anything happens. They explore each house carefully and Crystal instructs him on how to find secret hiding places that people might stash food or other things.

When the time is right, Crystal takes him out back of some of the houses, away from Ava's range of sight and teaches him how to hold a gun and how to shoot properly. She tells him all the tricks she knows to take out an attacker and how to always aim for the Wanderer's head.

There's one more thing she wants she could teach the kid, how to commit suicide, she'd learned how to do that with her last group of companions, but she can't bring herself to. The kid is already deeply scarred by the events unfolding around him, to show him a way to escape it seems a lot worse than it should be. Crystal saw the suicide method as the last possible resort, in her opinion, it meant there was no hope left and the world had failed them. The only reason she agreed to learn it was in case she was surrounded by Wanderers and say no way of escaping. It was better to be dead than be eaten alive.

Ava and Nicholas began to trust Crystal more and more as the days went on and vice versa. They liked listening to the music and they liked to tell her about their lives before the Wanderers rose. The kids were from Wisconsin originally and their dad was a "house maker" (a contractor) and their mom a teacher. Nicholas was eight and liked to play baseball, he used to play in a little league and was the best thrower on the team. Ava was six and she liked to dance and draw pictures. Crystal had managed to find some scrap paper in one of the houses and gave it to Ava so she could draw when she was bored. She liked butterflies and water animals like dolphins and turtles. She even drew a family of dolphins and gave it to Crystal to keep.

The small moments of innocence made Crystal feel at peace for awhile, living in an innocent and normal world, but soon reality came, often at night. As Crystal kept watch in the driver's seat every night, she kept wondering what was keeping the kid's parents. With each passing day, she continually wondered if they had been killed or had abandoned their kids if it meant increasing their odds of surviving. It made her sick to her stomach at the thought. Every night the kids prayed that their parents would come home the next day and they could go off to a safe place and for all Crystal knows, they've already become Wanderers or the Wanderer's next meal. She watched the two little ones curl up with one another, dreaming peacefully and it brought tears to their protector's eyes. What if the parents never came back? How would she tell the two of them? Would they try to run away or give up completely? Crystal didn't want to think about it. She also did not want to imply it when the two were awake. She had secretly been going back into the family's house at night and putting their food stash in the van. The girl kept telling herself it was in case they had to leave quickly, but it felt like she was betraying the kids and ruining their hopes of seeing their parents again.

After almost a week of being with the kids, Crystal and Nicholas had moved into the downtown area, with Ava in the van, parked in front of a convenience store, still within earshot of the two as they searched for more food.

"Hey, Nick?" Crystal asks, having been getting used to calling the kid this since it was easier than Nicholas. The two were in a pawn shop, looking for anything useful. Most of the display cases had been smashed and the weapons were taken, but Crystal held out hope she might find something useful.

"Yeah?" the boy responds.

"How long have you guys been in this town?"

"I don't know, it feels like forever, but when I asked Daddy, he said it was only a month."

"Why do you guys stay in one place? Most survivors try to move."

"I think it's because of Ava, she hates anything that changes and when this happened, she basically began to hide and stopped talking to everyone. It happened when our grandpa died, she just shuts off and mostly cries like a baby. My mommy had to tell Daddy that we should stay as long as we can for Ava's sake. After the zombies first came, Ava was so quiet, she was basically like one of the zombies herself. We did move a lot, trying to find a house, but Ava couldn't stand it. She wouldn't eat or sleep and she stopped talking again. My mommy was worried that she might die or try to go back home again so they both tried to make a home for her."

"So that's why they left you here to go look for food?" Crystal asks, finding a few old pocket watches, ripping the chains off and putting them in the bag.

"Uh huh," Nicholas nods. "My mommy tells Ava that this is all an adventure and that they are the good guys trying to find a new home."

"That's okay comp…"

Suddenly there is a loud piercing whistle, sending a chill up Crystal's spine and her heart beat intensifies.


	6. Chapter 5: Hope and Real Life

Chapter 5: Hope for Real Life

The adrenaline kicks in as Crystal rushes out of the shop, grabbing Nicholas as she runs.

"Oh my God!" she gasps.

Slowly coming down the street towards the van and the center of town is an army of Wanderers. There are too many to count and it sounds like an army of snakes with the infamous hissing sound these monsters make. Why hadn't Crystal heard it earlier? An army of Wanderers should have been heard a mile before they are seen.

"It's another wave," Crystal says.

Ava is in the front seat blowing her whistle as hard as she can. There's a panicked look on her face. The van is down the street from where the two stand, with the wave, slowly getting closer to the helpless little girl. Crystal feels her adrenaline pumping and her heart rate hitting overdrive. She grabs Nicholas and is practically dragging him as they race back for the van. The boy struggles to keep up, panting and fumbling for his gun.

They aren't moving fast enough; it feels like they're running with cement shoes. Ava continues to blow the whistle as loudly as she can and is no doubt crying by this point. Each piercing loud whistle echoes in Crystal's mind. She promised to protect the kids until their parents came back and this would be by any means necessary at this point. The protector knows what they'll have to do if she and Nick make it to the van in time.

A male Wanderer has just about reached the van, obviously smelling their human scent and Ava's screams of terror. Crystal fires her gun once to kill the thing before it reaches the passenger window.

With as much force as she can, Crystal kicks the Wanderer away from the door, wrenches it open and practically shoves Nicholas inside. She climbs in after the boy. Ava is still screaming, with the whistle in her mouth. Crystal tries climbing over the two of them to get to the driver seat. Ava anxiously grasps at Crystal's arms, trying to have something to hold onto.

"LET GO AVA!" Crystal barks as she manages to get into the driver's seat. "Crap where's the keys?" Crystal fumbles around in her jacket and around the seat frantically looking for their literal key to salvation.

"AVA WHERE ARE THE KEYS?!"

"I don't know!" Ava wails, tears pouring down her face.

"You were supposed to…"

Ava screams extremely loudly as another male Wanderer has reached the passenger door. He begins banging on it with his big fists, trying everything to get in.

"CRYSTAL!" Ava screams.

"I KNOW AVA, I KNOW! WHERE ARE THE GOD DAMNED KEYS?!"

The Wanderer bangs even harder. Fortunately, the reinforcements Crystal put on the glass are holding, but unfortunately, if more Wanderers begin attacking, it won't hold for long.

With Ava screaming in her ears and her desperate attempts to find the keys, Crystal is on the verge of tears herself.

The Wanderer continues to bang at the window, scaring the kids and putting their protector under more stress.

"NICK!" Crystal yells. "I need you to…"

"I-I…" the boy is practically paralyzed with fear. He himself is under extreme duress, with his sister screaming and holding onto him. He's crying too and so very afraid.

"GOD DAMN IT NICHOLAS SHOOT ITS BRAINS OUT! YOU PROMISED YOU'D COVER ME!"

Crystal is frantically searching for the keys on the floor of the van and at the verge of just exiting the van and shooting as many Wanderers as she can. The animalistic hisses and gurgling noises of the wave are getting so close… It would be the last sound any of them would hear…

"NO NICK!" Ava begs. "Mommy and Daddy…"

"Mom and Dad aren't…" Nicholas begins

Another bang followed by a series of hisses and snarls from the Wanderer and another scream from Ava. There are thumping noises coming from the back of the van, meaning more are coming, trying to find a way in.

"DO IT NOW NICK, OR WE WON'T MAKE IT!" Crystal hollers.

A single shot rings out and the cracking of glass. The Wanderer is blasted backward, spraying blood on the glass. Crystal finally finds the keys under her seat and she starts the engine up. The thing roars to life and Crystal puts the van in reverse, backing over the Wanderers trying to follow find a way in. She then throws the van into gear and puts the pedal to the metal.

The entire van is speeding down the road, burning rubber at speeds of almost 200 miles an hour. Crystal's adrenaline is still pounding as she leaves the tiny town in the dust. She doesn't look back, she can't look back, it's how this life is.

Once the three of them have cleared the town of _Ophelia_ , Crystal keeps the speed over a hundred on the two-lane highway, nothing can get in their way.

It seems like a long time before any of the passengers speak. They had narrowly escaped death and the shock of what Nicholas had to do is slowly sinking in. Crystal is proud of Nicholas, he finally managed to protect himself and might have very well saved all their lives. The adrenaline is slowly dying down the further the group gets from the town. Nick sits in the passenger seat, his eyes fixed forward in shock and most likely horror of what he just did. Ava is still crying, stuck between the two seats, which is fine for Crystal as she can't move very much, it's the equivalent of a seat belt for the time being.

Once they've done at least a hundred miles or more, Crystal finally slows down a little bit to conserve gas. They're going to keep driving until Crystal knows that they are safe.

Ava's voice suddenly shatters the silence.

"WE HAVE TO GO BACK!" she shouts. "WE HAVE TO GO BACK HOME!"

"Ava that wasn't your home," Crystal says sternly. "And we can't go back. The place is most likely overrun by walking corpses by now."

"But Mommy and Daddy!" Ava wails. "They won't know we ran away."

Crystal takes in a deep breath, trying to control her emotions. The three of them just almost died and all the little girl can think of is her parents.

"Ava, I'm sure your parents will find you," the oldest survivor says, trying to stay optimistic for the child's sake.

"No, they won't! They'll come back and see we're not there and then it will be all your fault."

"AVA!" Crystal snaps. "We almost just died back there, if your parents are smart, they'll be thankful I took you guys away. If both of you stayed there, you both would've been killed."

"No we wouldn't," the girl says angrily. "We were safe back at home."

"Ava, that wasn't home," Nicholas says in a frail voice.

"You shut up! You know Mommy said we can't have guns. When they come back, I'm telling…!"

"Ava," Crystal says. "You're brother just saved all of our lives by using a gun, if he had done nothing but scream like you did, we'd all be dead for sure."

"No we wouldn't!" Ava argues angrily, tears still streaming down her tiny face.

"Yes, we would. And your parents stupidly decided to leave you two behind instead of moving together."

"My parents aren't stupid!" Ava snarls.

"Yes, they are Ava! Take it from someone who has tried to stay in one place, it doesn't work. It's the stupidest thing you can do."

"No, it isn't!"

"Yes, it is,"

"When my Mommy and Daddy come back they'll tell you you're wrong and that you're stupid. You don't even try to help us. When they come back…

"YOU'RE PARENTS AREN'T COMING BACK!" Crystal yells. "If they were, they would've come back already. They are probably dead, okay? I'm sorry to break it to you, Ava but that's the truth and it hurts. "

This shuts the girl up and Crystal immediately regrets what she just said. There is a look of utter horror on the little girl's face and the colour drains from it as well. Her tears seem to freeze on her cheeks. The expression makes Crystal's stomach turn in regret. She kept telling herself not to say anything in front of the kids, not to dash their hopes of ever seeing their parents again, but as each day passed, it became more and more likely that this was the case. But Crystal vowed not to say anything, until this moment of extreme anger towards the little girl in her care. Nicholas mirrors his sister's look of dismay, but less than his sister. This is probably because the kid had this thought in the back of his mind but still held onto hope. Their parents were likely dead or had abandoned them completely. It was a reality that neither child couldn't or wouldn't accept.

Crystal knew what she had done, but reality was a cruel thing, something she had to learn the hard way. Life is not just a fantasy that you can escape so easily. It beats you down and strangles ever last bit of hope inside you. Crystal would rather break the news to the kids properly than having them learn it the hard way like she did. She was protecting them.

Ava's face goes bright red in anger and new tears form on her filthy little face.

"I HATE YOU!" Ava yells. "I WISH YOU'D NEVER HELPED US! YOU'RE SO UNFAIR!"

Ava's words sting, but they don't cut Crystal too deeply. Life was something to hate, but you can't do anything about it. You can stamp and yell and cry about how unfair everything was, but nothing would change. The world does not stop turning because you hate it.

"You may wish that Ava," Crystal says sternly. "But life's unfair. I'm sorry… that I'm the one to have to tell you this, but in this new world, nothing will ever be fair again. It's better you know this now before you go off and get yourself killed. And you may hate me, but besides your brother, I'm the only other person you've got who cares enough to try and keep you safe."

Ava begins smacking Crystal's arm and screaming "I hate you" through her tears, but Crystal just faces the road and ignores her. The little girl screams and cries as if this will solve all her problems. Her face is bright red and a mess of tears, snot, and saliva. Nicholas does try to comfort his sister and calm her, but she smacks him away, almost ready to punch him. Ava pinches and at one point tries to bite Crystal, but the oldest keeps her eyes on the road and disregards the child's tantrum.

It starts to get dark before Crystal finally pulls over to the side of the road to rest. Ava has worn herself out and is now sleeping on the mattress in the back.

Crystal turns the vehicle off and sighs. She rubs her hands over her face. She looks over at Nicholas who stares straight ahead out the windshield and into the horizon. The feelings of guilt come back to Crystal and she regrets saying anything.

Nicholas looks over to lock eyes with his protector. Some tears come to the surface of his blue eyes and his bottom lip quivers. The look in his eyes is one of pure hopelessness and the realization of what has happened to them. It's the most unpleasant image Crystal has ever seen. There is a splotch of blood in the center of his face, most likely from the Wanderer that he hasn't bothered to wipe away. She looks beyond his head and sees the bullet hole in the window as well as the blood splatter from the Wanderer.

Crystal's heart breaks into a million pieces at the sight of this beaten and wrecked child. No child should have to be put through this hellish world and yet the Wanderers rose and took over the planet. Earth can't even be considered a home anymore, for anyone. Crystal wishes that Nicholas and Ava had grown up in the loving and relatively happy world she had with green fields and friendly people. Instead, they were spending their innocent years in this desolated landscape and zombified humans with little to no hope of any kind. Nothing would ever be normal again.

"I'm sorry Nicholas, I really am," Crystal whispers, trying to fight her own tears. "I-I-I just wanted to save you t-two from having to learn the h-hard way that life can never be like it was. It sucks and its hell and I figured the sooner the two of you learned that lesson, the better off you'll be and the more likely you'll survive."

"How-How did you learn this lesson?" Nicholas whimpers.

"The details aren't important, but what is important is that is almost cost me my life and my sanity. I lost everything that I loved in a matter of seconds and I wanted to save you guys from a similar fate because you're both so young and you'll do things without thinking. And you guys won't be able to get out of it like I did."

"How did you get out of it?" Nicholas asks softly.

"It doesn't matter, but now I regret saying anything to you two. I love the hope and optimism you both have. The innocent laughter and carefree view of life. I didn't think that existed anymore, but the actions your sister was suggesting would get us all killed."

"I know," Nick sighs, wiping away his own tears. "She just misses our Mommy and Daddy."

"I know," Crystal says gently. "I miss mine too, but your sister has to learn that not everything can go as planned. Not everything will end happily and nothing can ever be normal."

Nicholas begins to sob harder and begins to shake a little bit in his seat. Crystal reaches over and offers him the chance to come to her for comfort. To her surprise, Nicholas accepts, crawling into her lap and clinging to her tightly.

Crystal shushes him gently and simply lets him cry out his frustrations and sadness. She rocks him back and forth, crying herself a little bit too, letting all her emotions come out. It had been awhile since she had cried when she was awake, she had been so focused on surviving and so numb to all the desolation and death happening around her, that she'd become hardened. It was like a shell, a strong shell she had made to protect herself from the reality of her situation and to keep her oblivious to the hopelessness of her life in general.

 _Why didn't I commit suicide when I had the chance?_ She thought. _If there is another life, it would be a lot better than this hell hole._

She thought about the darkness that would engulf her as her heart stopped beating and she didn't breathe any longer. The feeling of being at peace and that she would never have to worry about looking over her shoulder again.

Then she remembered a promise she had made to her mother, what felt like such a long time ago. She promised that she would live life as best she could and never ever give up.

"Have hope," is what she said. "Hope is what keeps the sun rising every day and the world spinning. You will always have a purpose on this earth and you will always have love. Please promise Crystal that you'll never ever lose hope. When you have lost hope, you have lost everything important to you. I am merely one of the many things that bring you hope and I pray that you will always find it, even in the darkest of times"

Little had her mother known, how dark the times would become. Crystal cries a little harder as it seemed that she had broken this promise a long time ago. She had given up on hope a long time ago because hope was not going to keep her alive, it was her skills and her determination that would save her from a fate worst that death. Hope was merely an idea and in a world, that was so dark and so evil, it seemed that hope had long since died with the first wave of Wanderers.

She then looks down at the little boy clinging to her desperately, like she was a life preserver and she was his only chance of survival, which, now that she thinks about it is true. She is this boy's last attempt at living to see his tenth birthday and beyond. She was his only chance to protect him and his sister from the terror of the outside world. She was filling the gap left by the parents. Where they were, if they were still alive meant little at this point. Crystal's heart suddenly drops when her mind makes the connection in her head. She was meant to find these two, to protect them and save them from becoming Wanderers or hardened and bitter like her father and to some degree, her. These children were meant to give her hope again and give her something to believe in. Crystal was meant to find that innocence that had long been lost with the first wave and she knew she would fulfill her promise to her mother. She would have a purpose and have hope, not just for herself, but for the children.

Crystal wipes away a few of her tears, feeling great relief from crying. The children had already started to help her, allowing her to express her emotions again. She looks down and sees that Nicholas has fallen asleep in her arms. He looks so frail with pale skin and his dark raven coloured hair and Crystal felt great guilt by confronting him with the truth. These two need her like she needed them.

She places a kiss on top of the boy's head and slowly brings him over to the mattress. She lays him down next to his sister, her tiny figure trembling slightly, her long dirty blonde hair, partially covering her face. Crystal leans down and kisses Ava too before pulling up several blankets around the two.

Before she returns to the front seat, Crystal uses the end of her shirt to wipe the blood spot from the boy's head.

"Let him stay innocent for a little longer," she whispers.


	7. Chapter 6: Fixing What is Broken

Chapter 6: Fixing What is Broken

Crystal wakes up the next morning in the front seat. She peers over to see that both kids are still fast asleep. She still doesn't want to be out in the open and she wants to go even further to protect the kids. Even though it was unlikely that the Wanderers could travel so far in one night, she can't risk it.

She reaches behind her seat and recovers the two kids before starting the engine and continuing to drive. She keeps her eyes on the road, not wanting to have to face Ava just yet. She was undoubtedly harsh on her yesterday, but it was for her own good. The child had to face the idea that nowhere was safe for very long.

She drives rather slowly for a few more hours, watching the morning sun come up along the farmer's fields in the east. It was a beautiful sight, a fleeting moment of beauty in this gruesome world. The quiet is a welcome change from the chaos of yesterday and all the yelling Crystal had to do.

She eventually pulls over when she hears the kids stir in the back.

She turns to see Nicholas sitting up, rubbing his eyes and wondering what is happening. Ava is also awake, but facing away from Nick and burying herself in the pillows.

"You guys hungry?" Crystal asks, taking the keys out of the ignition.

"Yes," Nicholas says.

Crystal climbs into the back and goes after some more food. She was glad she grabbed the food Nicholas and Ava's parents had stocked in the house, it meant more food for all of them and meant they could go longer without looking for a town or house to raid.

She gives out some spam and some more condensed milk. Nicholas eats ravenously, clearly hungry from yesterday, but Ava continues to lay in bed, not even turning around to look at the food. She must be hungry; they didn't eat dinner yesterday and yet she won't even go near the food.

"So Nick," Crystal says. "Do you want to help me patch up the hole in the window and clean up the blood?"

"S-Sure," the boy says, swallowing hard.

"Are you going to eat Ava?" Crystal asks gently.

No response.

"We'll be just outside if you want us," the protector says. Crystal wants to apologize to Ava, but the little girl doesn't even acknowledge her. Nick looks very nervous and pats his sister, trying to get her to respond, but she ignores him.

Crystal gets out the tape, some cloths and a few other tools to clean and repair the window with. They had parked along the side of a highway and there is a drainage ditch nearby to supply the water.

"You did pretty good for your first shot," Crystal compliments Nick, once they are outside the van.

Nicholas shrugs.

There is Wanderer blood and what could be brain matter all over the passenger door where Nicholas hit his target.

"Looks like you got them right in the frontal lobe section."

"What's that?" Nicholas asks.

"It's the part of the brain that enforces logical reasoning, but on Wanderers, it's badly decomposing and very soft. If you hit a Wanderer in just the right place in the front of the head, the matter spews out in every direction."

Nicholas turns a bit pale at this description. Crystal decides to stop explaining the anatomy of how to kill a Wanderer and start cleaning. She hands one of the cloths to Nicholas and he starts cleaning the bottom of the van, while Crystal the top. The two work in silence until the door is relatively clean.

"Nick," Crystal asks. "Can you hand me one of those little rubber stops in the toolkit?

"You mean this?" he asks, holding out the part she needs.

"That's right, and then I want you to give me two of those little tin foil squares in the back there.

He hands them to her.

"Now I want you to take one and start chewing on it."

"What is it?" he asks.

"It's gum, we need something to seal the hole up with, just until we can get to another hardware store and find some proper seal solution."

"O-Okay," the boy says reluctantly. Crystal unwraps the tin foil, revealing a tiny square of gum. She pops it into her mouth and begins chewing. Nicholas follows suit. She can't remember where she got this gum from, but it's so thick and sticky that it will hold the rubber stop in place. It works as a temporary glue. The gum doesn't have any flavor anymore and it is a little hard, but Crystal can't remember the last time she had chewed gum. It's not exactly sustenance and it's not exactly useful, but she can find use for it in an emergency. In this new world, she could make use of things that she'd never thought would be possible.

Crystal then blows a large pink bubble for Nicholas' amusement. She can't help but smile, remembering the number of times she and her friends had bubble gum contests, to see who could blow the biggest bubble. She remembers one of her friends could blow a bubble with a bubble, something that amazed and amused her to no end.

Nicholas giggles and blows a bubble himself. It's a lot smaller and it pops quickly.

"Make sure your gum is thick when you flatten it out," Crystal advises. "That way it will have more ability to expand."

Nicholas does so and blows a very big bubble that pops into his face. Crystal can't help but laugh.

"Okay," she says, removing her own gum. She takes the big pink blob and arranges it around the border of the rubber stop. She then begins pressing it into the place of the bullet hole in the window. Pink globs ooze out the sides as she puts it into place.

"Now hand me your gum," she says. "What's left of it."

Nicholas removes the gum from his mouth and Crystal uses the slimy thing to fill any gaps of holes left from the stop.

"Can you hand me the clear tape?" she asks.

Nicholas hands it to her and she rips off a strip with her teeth. She places it on top of her gummy creation. She then opens the passenger door and applies tape on the other side.

"There," Crystal declares. "It's not much, but it'll hold."

Nicholas looks very impressed. He then checks on his sister who is still laying on the mattress. His heart pounds anxiously, nervous about what this might mean. He's seen it before, back when everything changed and now it was happening again. He tries to get his sister to come outside and to eat something, but Ava remains quiet.

"Come on Nick," Crystal says, grabbing a few weapons. "Let's practice."

Nick looks back at his sister and then follows Crystal to a forested area, just within view of the van so Ava could join them if she felt like it. She sets up targets for Nicholas to hit, using old pieces of paper with crudely drawn targets on them, tacked onto trees.

Nicholas fires off one bullet, wincing at the crack the weapon made. He missed the tree completely and ended up burying it in a nearby rock.

"You have to be careful with your aim," Crystal informs him. "Don't turn it sideways, that never works. The movies make it look cool but it's not accurate."

She reaches over and adjusts Nicholas' arms accordingly.

"Now close one eye and if you can see the center of the target, raise your gun until it's just below the bullseye. I know it's not easy, especially if you're rushed and on the run, but try it now."

The two practice all morning and into the afternoon, Crystal is able to retrieve some of the bullets from the trees afterward. It takes a lot of practice, but soon, Nick's shots are getting more and more accurate.

"You're doing great kid," Crystal says after they go through a pack of ammunition. "You just need to always aim for the head, that will stop a Wanderer in its tracks."

Nicholas nods. "Can we go back to the van now? I'm hungry and tired."

"Well, you've certainly earned it," the older of the two says approvingly.

As soon as they reach the truck, Crystal sees that the back door of the van is open. She gasps and pulls open the sliding door of the van. Instead of finding Ava, laying in bed, she finds her supply backpack gone and some of the food rations.

"Oh no!" Crystal squeaks.

Nicholas is equally panicked. He begins calling his sister's name.

"AVA! AVA! WHERE ARE YOU?!" he screams. "She's probably trying to go back to the town. It's all your fault because you yelled at her and you ruined her hope of seeing our parents again. Now she's not eating and she's shutting down again." The poor boy is in tears from panic. His poor sister, helpless and alone, no one to protect her. She was becoming a zombie again and it scared Nick to death.

"You're right," Crystal sighs, feeling very ashamed that she didn't try to apologize earlier. "But she couldn't have gotten far, get in the van."

Crystal shuts the sliding door and goes around to shut the back trunk door. Nicholas climbs into the front seat and Crystal turns the van around.

She goes relatively slow so they can catch any sight of the little girl. The entire way, Nick is screaming out the window for his sister. Crystal feels so very guilty. She didn't mean to be so mean to the girl, but death had nearly claimed them yesterday and the happy little fantasy that Ava had wanted had been shattered violently. Her mind races as she tries to find the words to say to the girl when they find her.

They keep going along the stretch of road, as the sun begins to set. Crystal hand Nicholas some binoculars and a flashlight. He screams at the top of his lungs for his sister. Time is getting shorter and the window of opportunity to find the girl is closing quickly.

"Stop here!" Nicholas says.

Crystal brings the van to a halt.

"I saw something in the bushes!" the boy exclaims.

He gets out of the van with the flashlight and slowly goes to the side of the road. Crystal turns the van off and follows him, armed with her rifle.

They go about six feet into the woods, when Crystal sees a flash of faded pink dart from behind some bushes. A streak of blonde hair reflects the light of the flashlight as Ava comes out of her hiding spot and begins to run.

"AVA!" Nick screams. He drops the flashlight and goes after his sister.

Crystal picks it up and races after the two.

Ava is a fast runner, but Nicholas is older and stronger. Also, carrying a backpack that is too big for her, in the woods in the dark definitely slows her enough for Nicholas to tackle her to the ground.

"GET OFF ME!" Ava screams. "I HATE YOU NICK, GET OFF ME!

Crystal manages to catch up and finds Nicholas pinning his sister into the dirt.

"Let her up Nick," Crystal says gently.

He obeys her. Ava immediately tries to run again, but Crystal grabs her wrist.

"Where are you going to go?" Crystal says bluntly.

Ava doesn't respond but instead tries to bite Crystal's wrist.

"Seriously, where are you going to go?" Crystal insists, keeping a firm grip on the girl.

"I don't care, but away from you!"

"Your parents won't be there anymore Ava," Crystal says gently. "Once they've seen that the place is infested, they'll look for you elsewhere."

"You said they were dead!" Ava screams, trying to squirm out of Crystal's grip.

"I didn't know what I was saying," Crystal says quietly. The little girl continues to struggle. "Ava listen to me."

"NO!" she screams.

"Ava I'm sorry about what I said, but I was just trying to help you."

"By being mean to me?!" she squeaks.

"No, to show you that life is unfair. And you know what, it does suck and it is unfair and you have every right to be mad."

"I want my mommy and daddy," she whines.

"So do I, but unlike me, yours are probably still alive."

Ava stops suddenly and looks at her with wide blue eyes.

"Ava, I'm sorry. I was out of line and I hurt you and your brother. I had given up hope a long time ago, and I was pushing my views on you."

Crystal swallows.

"The truth is, I don't know what happened to your parents, I just assumed the worst because that's what I'm used to, but you are trying to keep hope alive and that's what I need most right now."

Ava squirms a bit more, but with less force.

"I was meant to find you two and protect you when your parents couldn't. I can't imagine letting you two go unless you were safe and sound. I was also trying to make you understand that things do have to change and it does suck and it is bad, but sweetie, in this world, it's just the way things have to be."

"It's not fair," Ava whimpers.

Crystal kneels down to Ava. "No Ava it isn't, but that doesn't mean I should be crushing your hopes of finding a good life with your parents. I just wanted to protect you from having to face the horrible truth that nothing ever goes your way in this world. I want you to realize that before you go and get yourself killed."

"But why?" she squeaks.

"It's hard to explain. I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. I tried to keep a lot of hope in finding my Dad again and in the end, I almost died. I want you guys to realize this, that you can have hope, but you also need to be smart and careful. Nothing is going to be fair and the sooner you know this, the more likely you will survive."

There is a long pause.

"I don't get it," Ava murmurs.

"I don't expect you to, just understand that I'm here to help you, to protect you until your parents find you. Right now, the van is your home and we are your family. You will find a place to live that is happy and peaceful, I promise you that Ava, but you're going to need to help me, by staying hopeful and keeping us happy."

Ava continues to look down at the ground, covered in mud.

"You're important to me and especially to your brother Ava. We need you and if you run away and get hurt, we might just lose all hope."

Ava begins to cry. She slumps to the ground and weeps. Nicholas goes over and hugs his sister tightly. She continues to cry harder and harder in the dark, in confusion and sadness. Crystal lets the two siblings have their moment, allowed to cry and cope in their own way. Hopefully, it will bring them closer together. Crystal then goes over and wraps the two in a big hug. She hasn't felt this close to anyone in a long time. Crystal had a duty to protect these two and give them the means to survive and in return, they would give her hope.

Eventually, they all break apart. Crystal picks up the flashlight and offers to carry the backpack. The begin walking back to the van, Nicholas leading the way. Ava is struggling to keep up, tripping and falling in the dark, over roots and branches. She eventually reaches out and grabs Crystal's hand for support and Crystal squeezes it for reassurance before they head back to their home.


	8. Chapter 7: Haunted Memories

Chapter 7: Haunted Memories

"Mom! Dad! MOM!" Crystal screamed at the top of her lungs. She pounded on the door to her parents' bedroom so hard her fists might start bleeding. Tears burned her eyes and actually washed some of the dirt, grime, and blood from her face.

Her journey out of the city had been hell, trying to reach her parents, to see if they were okay. She may have moved out when she was sixteen, but she still loved them, she still needed them and their support.

Her childhood home had looked like it had been hit by a cyclone. Windows had been shattered, furniture was torn to high hell including her mother's rocking chair; the fridge and cupboards that once held precious food were completely empty, family pictures torn from the walls and the fireplace looking like it had been the scene of a bonfire. She was absolutely devastated to see her home like this, the place where she had grown up. She thought her parents might be hiding upstairs, higher ground could be useful in this new world.

She passed her old bedroom, devoid of her belongings now, but was no longer what she remembered. It was a scene of horror. Her heart had been stomped on at that moment and her chest compressed in agony. The butterfly wallpaper had been stripped completely, any precious valuables she'd left behind were smashed, burned, or gone, including a snow globe that her grandmother had brought back from her trip to India. What made it all even sicker was the fact that there now appeared to be dried pools of human blood on the hardwood floor… it could have been human, or it could have been Wanderer… she'd named the monsters in which she had to fight every waking moment of her life now. What was no longer human now ruled the land? There appeared to be discarded weapons strewn about; a bent fire poker, kitchen knives with scratched blades, and some medical supplies, including blood-soaked bandages, syringes, needles with empty thread spools and what appeared to be soiled cloths. Bloodied handprints and smears appear on the walls… walls that once held her artwork from school or home. It was now a mural of death.

Crystal had keeled over and vomited in the hall, the stress finally catching up to her. She'd tried to put on a strong face, ignoring the warnings and protests to try and find her family as they were likely dead by now, but she insisted. She wasn't sure what she would discover, but not knowing was worse than anything else.

But now all her strength had left her, the thing she once called a past was gone… gone forever. She cried, which was nothing new, but she cried for the innocence she'd lost and past she now longed for. She should have never left two years ago, leaving her parents like this… Her chest clenched in agonizing pain as this new reality had dawned on her. It was crushing, excruciating and above all anger-inducing. She hated the world and wanted it to stop this…

After what must've been hours in the hollow hall, she went to her parents' room, banging on it in hopes of finding her family. She knew it was a long shot to see if they were here, but wouldn't they wait for their little girl to come home? She pounded harder and harder as if wanting to destroy the horrible truth that now stood before her. Her hands were bloodied and bruised as she called out in a hoarse voice for those she loved.

The oak door stood strong until Crystal got the discarded fire poker and used it like a crowbar, prying the door open with the little strength she had left. The door finally opened and what the daughter saw almost made her faint from the horror.

What was once a place she found refuge and safety from nightmares and the occasional need for a hug, there were scenes of carnage. The windows looking out into the backyard were boarded up except for a few holes that one might assume were for looking out, a metal trash can lay to the side having been used for fires to warm the occupants, discarded cartons and cans of food lay in the corner, more blood stains the floors and walls, there was more medical supplies but what's on the bed that tears this poor girl apart. A human corpse lay tied to the bed with bed sheets, half-eaten and decaying. The smell is overwhelming that Crystal holds her shirt up to her nose to mask it. She sees that the dead body is badly bruised along the head, the throat has been cut, the mouth taped shut and several puncture wounds all over the body. But what truly horrifies her the most is… the corpse was a teenager, not much older than Crystal herself. Despite the decay, the girl could clearly tell its age, the gender, and what it had been through. The eyes still had pigment of colour, soft brown eyes and they reflected a look of terror and panic. Death had not been quick for this being and she could see those last moments etched in the eyes.

What's more is that the face was familiar to her; someone she had once known well, someone she had babysat at one time and called a friend. Crystal vomited again, seeing the blackened veins in the corpse's arms, a common trait of Wanderers but the skin was still colourful, not pale and gray like the many carnivorous beings she'd encountered on her journey here. But there was a distinct bite mark on the leg of the body. If she thought about it, the girl could assume that the person left here was halfway through the transformation when it met its end.

She cried even harder than before, seeing one of her parent's overturned night stands and the shattered remains of a lamp and a broken picture. The corpse had clearly struggled, and it was not a quick passing, this person fought with every fibre of their being. But fighting what? The inevitability that came with being bitten? The apparent torture that was inflicted? To be free to eat the flesh of the living?

Crystal stood near the body and knelt down to pick up the broken picture. Her heart sank when she saw it was a picture of the three of them; her father pushing her and her mother on the swing that once hung from a tree in their backyard. Her mind went back to those happy carefree days; when the world seemed so peaceful and bright, where nothing was wrong, and the dead were not walking among them. She wipes her tears and sniffles, trying to breathe through her to avoid the terrible smell. Her heart pounded in her chest as she stood up again. It may have been a scene of devastation, but they were still out there… Her parents had to be alive, they just left, probably to find other survivors and maybe they were looking for her, too right? Her stomach filled with hope again, it did a flip inside and her body felt lighter, something that had not been felt in a long time. She would find them, and they could be a family again, find someplace safe to live and just enjoy the limited moments of happiness that God was trying to grant them. They could survive together…

She looks over at the corpse and stands silently for a few moments out of respect for this person. The screaming Wanderer.

Crystal then turns to leave, putting the picture in her pocket and walking away… Hope that died the moment she left that home

…

"Are you okay Crystal?" Nicholas asks as the three of them sit playing a simple game of cards. The eldest of the group blinks, bringing herself back to reality.

"Yes, why?"

"It's your turn."

She looks at the cards in her hand and plays. It was a luxury to have any form of entertainment, but aside from the music, all she had was a deck of cards. The ace of spades was missing, which was ironic in her eyes, but the small group of survivors decided that any game was fun. Crystal taught them a few card games that her father had taught her as a child and it was fun, Ava even managed to smile once and a while, which was a comfort to her brother and their leader.

The group had pulled over for a couple of days, to conserve gas and to train a little bit. Despite how much she hated it, Ava watched as her brother learned to shoot a gun, throw knives, and even fight with his own fists. Crystal trained the boy non-stop to be prepared for anything, while the little girl looked on, not wanting to get involved in the violence. The poor girl was still very scared, but at least she wasn't trying to run away anymore. Both siblings insisted that they would have to go find their parents now, holding onto the hope that they were still out there and alive… looking for them too, right? They could be a family again and find someplace safe to live. Nicholas' eyes lit up at the thought of seeing their loving Mommy and Daddy again and Ava would talk non-stop about how great they were.

Crystal swallows a large lump in her throat and bites her lip. She continues to stare at her cards as the siblings reminisce about happier times. Ava goes on to tell the farm fantasy again. The eldest survivor keeps her eyes down, trying to shut out the hopes of the children in her care, the children she vowed to protect. She fights back tears that sting her eyes, she'd lost the courage to tell the youths the truth… she couldn't do that to them. They had hope, which was good, but it was too much. She doesn't have the heart to tell them that she was once in their position, oblivious and hopeful for a new start… but deep down she knows that this will not end happily. It didn't for her.

Her hand reaches into her coat pocket and she feels the picture inside, she gives it a squeeze and plays her turn without another word.

 _A/N: Some insight into Crystal's life and what it was like before the apocalypse. Why do you think the corpse was like this and what do you think happened to her parents? Please follow and review_


	9. Chapter 8: New Companion

Chapter 8: New Companion

" _First, I was afraid, I was petrified_

 _Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side_

 _But then I spent so many nights thinking how you did me wrong,_

 _And I grew strong, and I learned how to get along._

 _And so you're back from outer space._

 _I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face_

 _I should have changed that stupid lock_

 _I should have made you leave your key_

 _If I had known for just one second you'd be back to bother me…"_

"Why do you play music?" Ava asks as the two girls sit in the van, waiting for Nicholas to come back from the woods after relieving himself.

"It makes me forget," the older girl answers, staring into the distance where the only male of their group had vanished.

"Why are you like that?"

"Like what?"

"Mean?"

Crystal swallows. "Am I mean?"

"Sometimes…" Ava admits.

"I guess it's because I've been through a lot…" she turns to the little girl. "A world like this will change people and not for the better."

"Why?"

"No one really knows… I guess when they make the world hell upon earth and you watch innocent humans become bloodthirsty monsters, there's not much time to be nice anymore when you're fighting for your life." She swallows again. "If you want to know, I used to be the nicest girl in my class. I was the one who gave flowers or an apple to the teacher, I helped little kids cross the street and I would even walk my elderly neighbour's dog."

"Oh, I love doggies, was it fuzzy?"

"Very," Crystal smiles. "It was a big sheepdog, sometimes it looked like a mop."

Ava giggles, a happy sound which felt nice to hear.

"I have no idea how this old lady managed to keep this big dog, he could tackle anyone to the ground and soak your face with his slobber."

"What was his name?"

"Farley, he was a lovable thing, but he wasn't very bright. He could never learn the simplest tricks and it didn't matter how many times he ran into the plate glass door… I'm surprised his face wasn't flattened for how many times he thought the door was open"

Ava giggles again and Crystal manages a smile of her own. Part of her wishes she still had a photo of the dog, as a way of making peace with the girl she had yelled at, shouted that her parents were probably dead. She did feel a lot of guilt over this, but when one is put in a life or death situation, many things are said that should not be. She's taking this moment to re-bond with the little girl, knowing that both of the children saved her… She'd become a meaningless and hopeless drifter. She had no real destination anymore, she hadn't even had contact with normal humans in six months or more and this was because… there didn't seem to be any of them left, not ones like Ava and Nicholas anyways. People with hope and the potential to do great things, those who looked on the bright side of life and still managed to sleep peacefully without being awoken by nightmares. But most of all, people who had kept their innocence, those who had never deliberately drawn blood… well Ava was the only one left. Nicholas had done it to protect his sister, the ability to say that you had never killed anyone was gone for him, but not his sister. Crystal even admired the girl for being so stubborn and refusing to lose how to fight, that way she wouldn't be called upon in battle to hurt anyone. Maybe that was for the best, but how long would it last?

"What happened to Farley?"

The smile is gone again. "I don't really know, after what… happened… Mrs. Cooper disappeared and so did Farley."

Just then Nicholas comes out of the woods again, but something else is with him. Crystal's breath catches in her throat, limping alongside the boy is the shaggy remains of a dog. It's covered in dirt, brambles and what was likely blood. As the two got closer, the smell hit her nose and she cringed. The thing stood at the boy's hips and was bone thin, looking on the verge of collapsing.

"A doggy!" Ava shrieks in excitement. She goes over towards the dog before the eldest can stop her. "Where did you find him, Nick?"

"I found him tied to a tree, he was howling and helpless. I think he was living off any squirrels that would try to run up the tree."

The dog manages to lick Ava's face and she giggles. Nicholas looks over and sees Crystal frowning very hard. The boy's stomach turned, already predicting what she was going to say.

"Why can't we keep him?"

The eldest looks at the animal, if it could even be called that, it was a mangy mutt and no one could tell what breed it was. There were many bald patches on his body, one eye looked like it was oozing out the gunk and half its tail was gone. What remains of a rope hung around its neck, which had minimal fur, likely from struggling to get free.

"You know why," Crystal says.

"We have to keep him!" Ava insists. "He needs us."

"Why do you think whoever had him first tied him to the tree? Dogs may be loyal protectors, but they require food, food that we can hardly spare."

"I'll give him mine," Ava insists, tears coming to her eyes again. The dog licks the girl's face again. Crystal thinks that it's cute. The animal whimpers a few times, melting the teen's heart a little. "Please Crystal… Please. We can't leave him out here. The Walkers will get him."

"And he's already trained, watch," Nicholas says. "Hey boy, sit."

With some effort, the dog's back legs lower into a sitting position. His half tail wags once as the boy pats him on the head as a reward.

Crystal's heart is sinking into her stomach. She wants to say no, a dog is the last thing they need, especially with the fact that they are all on the run from flesh-eating zombies. She wasn't stupid, she knew what happened to animals in worlds… If _I Am Legend_ is anything to go by. Most of the time, they ended up as food for savage survivors. And yet, as she looked at the poor animal, her mind flashes back, thinking this might be how she must've looked at one time, helpless and starving, unable to fend for herself. She was probably dirtier and skinnier if she hadn't learned how to survive, losing that innocence of never taking a life. She knew how cruel it would be to just leave the dog… this dog still had the blamelessness of the children she was caring for. She sighs and turns back into the van. She opens a can of spam and brings it over to the poor beast. She places it in front of him, breathing through her mouth as the smell was very strong.

The dog eats ravenously as if this was his last meal on earth. He finishes it in no time flat and looks up at his saviour, if animals could express complicated emotions, this one would likely be showing gratitude. Crystal then offers the dog a dribble of water, which he laps up in no time flat. He's still shaking a lot, likely from the weakness of his body, but his partial tail is wagging happily.

"We'll have to find a lake or something to clean him up," she finally says.

Ava and Nicholas smile and cheer, both hugging Crystal happily.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Ava shouts.

Nicholas parrots these words.

The eldest then goes to get a drop sheet from the van, wraps the dog in it, doing her best not to vomit from the smell. She puts it in the very back of the van, away from any fabrics or food. The animal seems so happy to be somewhere else that he lets out a sound. It wasn't quite a bark, but a raspy, hoarse whisper. Crystal manages to smile.

…

"Would you please hold him still!" Crystal groans as both Nicholas and Ava try to keep the dog from squirming. The girl is dressing the animal's wounds, which he is not too happy about. He howls several times and tries to get away.

The group drove along some of the empty highways until they finally found what was could be a decent body of water, a pond on a farmer's property. This mutt was none too pleased of being forced into the cold water, but once Crystal began cleaning his eye with scraps of cloth and got rid of all the build-up of dirt and bark between his paws, he calmed down enough for her to finish. Both Ava and Nicholas helped to the best of their six and eight-year-old abilities, but it usually ended up with Crystal doing all the work. The kids were arguing over who got to name the dog.

After the dog smelled a lot better, they brought the skinny thing back to the van and they rationed out food for four instead of three. The teenager of the group knew that she'd have to go raiding soon, meaning they'd have to go into another town or city, which was very, very risky. She'd also start looking for dog food, which would be much easier to find than human food since it wouldn't satisfy desperate survivors.

Now she was trying to help the dog with his wounds. She discovered that one of its front legs was broken so she had to create a splint a tie it to the animal's limb. He was none to happy about this, trying to eat it, so Crystal had to spray old paint over it, it smelled bad and tasted terrible, keeping the animal at bay. Now she was trying to clean cuts and wounds. She knew only time would give the dog back the missing fur, but she also cut the rope from around its neck. She saw that the cord binding it to the tree had cut into the flesh more than once and removed most of the fur in the area. This mutt probably tried to escape many times, only to be harmed and likely choked. This probably explains why the thing couldn't bark properly, his vocal chords might be damaged.

Once all the wounds are dress, Crystal sits back in exhaustion; and she thought taking care of kids and surviving was exhausting

Now with the animal cleaned up, he does now closely resemble what was once a dog. His fur is brown, a shade darker than the teen's own hair, his snout was slightly thicker, indicating it had Labrador genes, but as far as she could tell, it was a mutt with a mixture of breeds. The dog's eyes were very dark and blinked frequently, likely still trying to heal from the hard goo that once resided there. He begins to pant, showing his teeth and tongue. Ava gives the dog a big hug and he licks her face.

"Okay guys, time to call it a night."

"Can Farley sleep with us?" Ava asks.

Crystal swallows. "Farley, is that his name now?"

"I like it, at least I get to meet one dog named Farley," Ava insists.

"Are you okay with that Nick?"

The boy shrugs. "I would've liked a name like Killer or Destroyer,"

The teen reaches out and strokes the dog on the head. The animal licks her hand.

"He's too friendly to be called those things," Crystal says. "Farley, it is then."

"Farley Killer," Nick corrects.

"F.K. for short," the teen jokes.

Eventually, the children finally settle down into bed. They make sure that F.K. is covered with a blanket too, which seemed like a great comfort to the animal being left the woods all alone on cold nights. The dog slowly shuts its eyes and breathes deeply. Ava and Nicholas say their prayers and curl up together on the mattress. Crystal moves to the front seat, still regretting her decision to let this animal into the group. He'd likely only slow them down or end up getting them killed somehow. She did love animals… she loved them a lot, in fact, her family once had two cats named Paige and Boots, both of whom she remembered fondly. But dogs were a lot more work… Why did she let this dog into the van? Was it to make Ava happy? To make the girl trust her again? To prove that she was "nice"? Was it because she felt sorry for the poor thing? Or maybe it was because they all needed some form of distraction from the harsh reality and hellhole that is their life.

Maybe this was a good thing… As the moon becomes high in the sky, Crystal looks down to see the children snuggled up with F.K. and her heart just melts.

 _I guess animals will always be my weakness_ , she thinks to herself. She then digs out a CD she was particularly fond of. She plays it on low volume and lays back, watching the sky.

" _Rene and Georgette Magritte_

 _With their dog after the war_

 _Returned to their hotel suite_

 _And they unlocked the door…_ "

 _A/N: All lyrics and rights go to their perspective companies and artists. Please Follow and Review._


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